Tag Archives: Robinson Cano

The mummified remains of a young woman from Peru have been analyzed. According to radioactive carbon dating, the woman died around 600 years ago. They know that she was Incan by the way that her skull was modified. (I can talk about pretty much any sort of disease or bodily fluid, even while eating, but this enforced body distortion absolutely creeps me out. Not fond of looking at the faces of mummies, either, for that matter.)

Why was this particular woman sacrificed? The researchers, guessing from DNA found in her, believe that she had Chagas’ disease and that her poor health probably made her a likely candidate. We therefore have another reason not to get Chagas’ disease: you will be more likely to be the one chosen to get tossed into the volcano or offered up à la Fay Wray, albeit to smaller primates and ones with prehensile tails.

THE CHILCANO

We haven’t put a drink recipe on here in a while, and if you are relying on us that you are feeling either pretty thirsty or are sick to death of algorobina cocktails and pisco sours.

The Chilcano was invented in honor of Robinson Canó’s attempt to bring béisbol to Chile, a typically fútbol-mad country. MLB, in the face of waning enthusiasm for baseball, was hoping that the Caribbean locura for the beauty of the diamond would spread to the rest of Latin America, and lead a resurgence in what they hope will be not just America’s pastime, but the Americas’ pastime. Canó, as MVP, was sent as an ambassador. Peru, of course, was in principle opposed to this gesture, not because of any dislike for baseball, but what they saw as yet another attempt by their southern neighbors to appropriate pisco as their own, when everyone (including the EU) knows that Pisco es Peruano.

I like the chilcano because it is easy and it is refreshing.

Into a tall glass filled with ice:

1-2 oz. Pisco

4 oz. ginger ale, ginger beer, or other fizzy mixer.

Squeeze the juice of 1/4 lime

Garnish with a slice of lime.

AND NOW, for the dish: Sylva Koscina was an Italian movie actress, born in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (now Croatia). She had a successful career in the ’50s and ’60s, and men of a certain age might remember her playing opposite Paul Newman in the The Secret War of Harry Frigg. She invested all of her wealth in a luxurious villa in Rome, but as her income dwindled, she was forced to sell it in order to avoid a charge of tax evasion.

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An Online Journal of Chagas’ Disease, Rabies, Beverages from South America, Dishes from the Sixties, and Other Public Health Issues

If you wish to read the Chagas' Disease primer in order, click here to go to Part 1 and follow the links.
We do not wish to diminish the importance of Chagas' disease, or make it seem that we are equating its significance with that of Pisco Sours or Inca Kola--we realize, alas, that for the most part only geeks and do-gooders are interested in diseases like Chagas'. We are hoping that by including matters of interest to the general public that we may attract more readers.

Richard Lerner

Richard Lerner is the author of this blog. All complaints should be sent to anyone other than him. We are looking for other writers interested in vector-borne disease, or timely information on the fight against these conditions, especially in the Americas.